COLLEGES: Plenty of room at the top for Inland talent

The 2013-14 season featured the usual suspects continuing to dominate their conferences and a couple of upstart teams making history. Perhaps the team that had the most impressive season is the one that’s typically overshadowed by its male counterparts.

That would be the Riverside City College women’s track and field team, which is always among the best in the state but flies under the radar compared to the perennial state champion RCC men’s squad.

This turned out to be a unique season for Inland area women’s teams, so we took a unique approach to the Press-Enterprise Women’s Team of the Year and called it a draw between teams that all made their marks at different levels.

Let’s start with the RCC track team. The Tigers celebrated a fourth straight Orange Empire Conference crown but had a bigger goal to reach for at the state championships. Led by Shebanet'te Terry’s win in the 400 meters and Taylor Coffelt’s win in the javelin and second-place finish in the heptathlon, the Tigers placed third at state to add to their trophy collection.

Several athletes won multiple medals, including freshman Maria Morales, who ran an impressive last lap in the 1,500 to place fourth. She also placed second in the 800. Sierra Senio finished eighth in the shot and discus, and Marissa Jimenez was eighth in the 5,000. Tricia Cervantes was fifth in the 400 hurdles and fifth in the heptathlon. The 4×100 relay team took fifth and the 4×400 finished second.

The La Sierra University volleyball team was one victory away from advancing to the NAIA national tournament but fell to Menlo College in the CalPac tournament finals. The Golden Eagles finished 22-9 and had three players, outside hitters Lupe Garcia and Lina Semaia and setter Colleen Stafford, make the all-conference first team. Semaia led the conference in total kills (407) and was fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.215).

The University of Redlands softball team won its 10th straight SCIAC title but lost to conference rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the NCAA regional playoffs. The Bulldogs (31-15) had an impressive lineup, with sophomore outfielder AJ Carrasco hitting .500 to earn All-American honors. Senior outfielder Amanda Lievanos hit .453 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI, while sophomore shortstop Vicki King led the team with 54 RBI. Senior pitcher Kaitlyn Hooper finished 21-6 with a pair of saves.

The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team is on this list every year. The Coyotes (27-6) won their eighth straight CCAA title and reached the NCAA West regional final for the 14th consecutive season. Bolstered by middle blockers Brenna McIntosh and Tori May, the Coyotes finished the season ranked No. 9 in the final American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. It was the seventh time in eight seasons that the program has finished in the top 10. May and McIntosh will both be back next season, as are all-conference selections Arielle McCullough and Alexandra Torline.

The University of Redlands lacrosse team put together a historic season, advancing to the third round of the NCAA championships for the first time in program history. Loaded with experience, the Bulldogs (14-5) won a third straight SCIAC title and dominated the conference awards with sophomore midfielder Stephanie Garrett earning Offensive Player of the Year. Garrett also was named All-American and joined senior teammates Allie Hoffler, KK McCaslin, midfielder Jacky Craycraft, and defender Ally Leipzig as all-region selections.

The Cal State San Bernardino soccer team advanced to the NCAA tournament for just the second time in school history and finished the season ranked No. 14. It was the first time the Coyotes (12-7-4) cracked the national rankings. The Coyotes not only reached the CCAA tournament for the first time, but they also reached NCAA West regional and advanced to the finals. Goalkeeper Chelsey Jones was named All-American and also earned academic All-American honors.